A Sales Forecast is Not a Sales Plan

Every year, printing companies create a sales budget. After much tweaking, negotiating, and some wishful thinking, the numbers are finalized, the goal is clear, and everyone says, “Let’s do this!” However, the simple truth is a budget is just a number. It doesn’t tell you how to win.

That is why growing printing companies need a better playbook—a sales execution and support plan. This kind of plan articulates the assumptions that were made during the budgeting process and how the team will reach its goal. If the budget is the finish line, then the plan is the navigation system that gets you there.

Leading a print business isn’t easy today, and certainly not for the faint of heart. Prices get squeezed, and customers want more. Specifications change fast, schedules are condensed, and margins stay tight. When companies miss their forecast, it’s usually not because salespeople and client-facing folks didn’t work hard. Most of the time, it happens because the plan wasn't clear, internal teams were not lined up to run the same play, support was never spelled out, and people thought someone else had it covered. That is when hope takes over. And hope is not a strategy.

A good sales plan answers three simple questions.

A good sales plan answers three simple questions. It explains where the growth will come from, what must be true for that growth to happen, and what the company will do to help the sales team succeed. When these answers are clear, people can focus. When they are not clear, folks run in different directions.

Start by sharing some clear, basic assumptions. Begin the plan by explaining what the company believes about the market it is in, about where prices are going, about the outlook on customer retention and attrition, and about how much new business each salesperson can secure. When everyone knows the plays, there are fewer surprises later in the year.

The plan should also explain where growth will come from. It might come from new customers, growth from current customers, or from new services like wide format, apparel and promotional, packaging, or mailing services. The key is to choose what matters most and stay focused, because no team can chase everything at once. It’s tough to be an inch deep and a mile wide.

Another big part of the plan is how the company will support the sales effort. This is where leadership can make a commitment statement. The plan should explain how the business will help, through training, lead generation, better tools, reliable service, and new products. These should not just be ideas; they should be real actions that the team agrees to provide. This now becomes much more of a team sport, no longer the days of the lone ranger.

The plan should also show how you will check in to ensure things are on track. It should describe the sales and coaching meetings that review the pipeline and monthly forecasts and the cadence that you will follow. A simple and steady rhythm helps prevent problems from growing too big and keeps everyone on track. It provides an avenue for those to ask for help as needed. Clear measurements are essential. Sales should own revenue and the activities that support reaching those goals, but other teams should own their numbers as well. When people track leads, on-time delivery, service, and follow-up, they pay more attention to what matters, and results improve throughout the business.

No plan is complete without discussing risk. The team should be honest about what could go wrong and what it will do if it does. For example, scorecards are great, but at what point will action be needed to course correct, and what exactly are those options? This does not mean being negative; it means being prepared. It means being ready.

Every part of the plan should have a clear owner. When you have two starting quarterbacks, you really have no starting quarterback. Each action needs a name next to it, because when everyone owns something, they start to pay attention.

In the end, a sales execution and support plan turns the budget into a team promise with a roadmap to get there. It tells the sales group, “We are not just giving you a number. We are working together by giving you support, focus, and a way to win.” In today's business world, that kind of clarity matters. Strong plans lead to strong results, the kind the business is after, and strong leadership and accountability can make it all happen.

Mike Philie helps owners and CEOs in the Graphic Communications Industry validate what’s working, identify what needs to change, and create a practical path forward.

PhilieGroup | mphilie@philiegroup.com | LinkedIn

The preceding content was provided by a contributor unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within may not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of the staff of Printing Impressions. Artificial Intelligence may have been used in part to create or edit this content.